Athens Bands Donate Proceeds to ACLU, SPLC Following Immigration Ban

Following President Trump's temporary ban on refugee resettlement, travel and immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries, several Athens bands say they are donating proceeds from digital music sales to civil-rights organizations, including the Southern Poverty Law Center and American Civil Liberties Union.

Three groups—Scooterbabe, Harlot Party and Jianna Justice—announced the move yesterday on Facebook.

Scooterbabe's JJ Posway tells Flagpole that his band "wanted to join several other artists in standing against Trump’s recent actions and his overall regressive and discriminatory agenda.

"Donating to the ACLU seems like an effective way to support multiple marginalized groups under attack by Trump," Posway continues, "and it feels especially necessary after the ACLU’s swift action against this past weekend’s executive order."

Trent Johnson of Jianna Justice echoes Posway's sentiment, explaining that his group is "trying to use any platform that we have to help marginalized communities."

In the chaotic period after Trump's executive order was issued last weekend, ACLU lawyers were among those working to free foreign nationals who had been detained at airports across the U.S., and a lawsuit filed by the group in New York led to a federal judge issuing a temporary stay on parts of the order.

Donations to civil-rights groups have surged since the election, and there was another sharp uptick after the travel ban went into effect. The New York Times reports that the ACLU raised $24 million in online donations since Saturday.

If you are in or know of other local bands making similar commitments, let us know in the comments or by emailing music@flagpole.com.